糖心Vlog传媒

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to host MA Thesis Exhibit April 26-May 7

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a series of paintings by Sarah Lassiter in her thesis exhibition. 鈥淪uspension鈥� will feature around 15 paintings and be on display from April 26 to May 7 in the Maners/Pappas Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Lassiter, who is graduating with a Master of Arts in May, uses painted and mixed media surfaces to explore the cognitive dissonance that accompanies trying to build a life in a world that is falling apart. Aggressive marks created with a palette knife, the use of pure red and black, and surfaces of the paintings encrusted with bottle caps and aluminum beer tabs express turmoil and dread. 鈥溾赌�厂耻蝉辫别苍蝉颈辞苍鈥� is a series of paintings inspired by my own emotional reaction to the strangeness of our times,鈥� Lassiter said. 鈥淎s the last few years have unfolded, the world has felt like an increasingly unstable place. I find myself between college and career, at a stage in life when I should be making long-term plans. But the sense that the future is precarious makes this type of thinking feel difficult, at times even absurd. Hoping to reach others who experience this halting effect, I鈥檝e spent the last year and a half creating this series, exploring the cognitive dissonance that accompanies trying to build a life against a backdrop of uncertainty.鈥� Using interior scenes from the artist鈥檚 home depicts the way exterior anxieties invade daily life. The inclusion of both quiet scenes and noisier, more abstracted elements is a means of exploring the counterintuitive relationship between outer chaos and stillness. By exploring her struggles in such an open and vulnerable way, Lassiter invites others to let their own guard down, to reach for support and connection. While Lassiter has enjoyed the arts since childhood, she didn鈥檛 explore art as a career until she took some classes at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, which made her feel as if a world of artistic possibilities had opened up in front of her. 鈥淚 think, deep down, I鈥檝e always wanted to be an artist,鈥� Lassiter said. 鈥淲ith art, the more you learn, the more salient the gulf between your skill level and what鈥檚 possible becomes, and few things are as satisfying as closing the gap between what exists in the mind鈥檚 eye and what you can create. The continual challenge is intoxicating. The drawing classes led to watercolor classes, which led to enrolling in post-bac art courses here at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, which led to pursuing this MA degree, where I鈥檝e been learning oil painting. Art is what I always seem to come back to, and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity to pursue my creative interests.鈥� Following her graduation, Lassiter plans to use the time to practice experimentation and creative play in her painting. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot in the past few semesters, and can鈥檛 wait to practice applying the techniques and concepts to which I鈥檝e been introduced,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s excited as I am to be graduating, I feel as though my artistic education has only just begun. I would love to pursue further education in visual art within the next few years.鈥� The exhibit can be viewed virtually through the 听 The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Art Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Patrons may call or email to confirm a visit to campus to view the exhibitions. For more information, contact the main office at 501-916-3182 or email Brad Cushman at [email protected].